by Jaden Skye
“We can probably trace the blackmail checks Mort paid to Andrea as well, now that we know about them,” Wayne added.
“Penny said that she’ll fire us if we go to the police,” Olivia added.
“That’s obstructing an investigation,” Wayne said. “Don’t let anything they say derail you.”
The waiter came over then to take their orders. Olivia’s hunger had vanished, though. “I’m not so hungry now,” she said when Wayne asked her what she wanted.
“It’s okay.” Wayne smiled at the waiter. “Bring pasta and salad for both of us anyway.”
After the waiter left, Olivia looked at Wayne oddly. He reached out and put his hand over hers. “There’s only so far you can go in allowing these cases to upset you,” he said in a soft, caring tone. “Dinner is dinner and it’s important. It’s also important for us to have time alone together.”
Despite herself, Olivia smiled. Wayne’s barriers seemed to be coming down. And it felt so much better being here with him now. Especially with his hand still on hers.
“I’ve missed you,” Wayne said in a shaky voice.
Olivia was startled and delighted to hear that.
“And the guys on the force have been saying that Justin had taken quite a shine to you, too,” Wayne added. “Justin’s been talking to them about it. I didn’t like hearing that one bit.”
Surprised, Olivia smiled broadly. “Jealous?”
“Definitely,” Wayne admitted, his eyes sparkling. “And I’m certainly hoping the feeling isn’t mutual between you and Justin?” He looked at Olivia searchingly.
“It’s not mutual,” Olivia answered Wayne slowly. It had to have been hard for Wayne to bring this up and Olivia really appreciated it. “Right now you’re the only one I think about, Wayne.”
Wayne closed his eyes quickly and smiled as the waiter arrived with a bottle of wine.
“I ordered this for you,” he said.
Olivia looked at the wine. “Not right now, though, I don’t think.”
“No, you’re right,” said Wayne. “We’ve got to stay clear and focused for the present. But we can take it back to our rooms for later, can’t we?”
What was Wayne suggesting? Olivia wondered
“Of course,” she said, lightly, “later, not tonight.”
“I’m looking forward to that.” Wayne leaned closer to her.
A wave of fear came over Olivia then. It sounded as though Wayne was suggesting that they move forward. The idea was definitely appealing, but she didn’t want to be disappointed again.
After dinner, Olivia and Wayne went back to their separate rooms for now, planning to go to the police station first thing in the morning and share the information they’d found. But before he left, Wayne pulled Olivia to him in a warm embrace.
“Once things have calmed down, we’ll have that bottle of wine,” Wayne whispered to her.
*
Olivia entered her room, her head reeling. So much had happened all at once. She thought of taking a long bath to unwind when her phone suddenly rang. It had to be Wayne, thought Olivia. Did he want to have that bottle of wine tonight? It was too soon, she felt, wondering what she would tell him.
Olivia picked up the phone nervously, and to her total surprise, Nate was on the other end.
“I heard you came to visit my mother,” Nate started talking the minute Olivia answered.
“Yes, we had a little visit,” said Olivia. “Why?”
“My mother told you we’re leaving in the morning, right?” Nate went on quickly.
“Yes, she did.”
“I want to see you one more time before we go.” Nate’s voice got hoarser.
“Do you want me to come to your hotel room again, Nate?” Olivia asked, surprised.
“No, no, definitely no!” Nate seemed alarmed by the idea.
Olivia shivered. “What then?”
“I’ll meet you down at the Alaska bar,” Nate answered quickly. “I can get in, I have a fake ID. People know where it is, the taxi will find it.”
“Okay,” said Olivia. She couldn’t pass this up and she knew it.
“And don’t tell anyone you’re meeting me here. Especially my mother!” Nate went on.
“I won’t, of course,” Olivia whispered, wondering why it was such a secret. “How are you going to get out of your hotel and go, though? Isn’t your mother going to ask you?”
“I’m not going for long and Calia will cover for me,” Nate responded. “The Alaska isn’t far from our hotel, either.”
“How’s Calia going to cover for you?” Olivia was fascinated.
“She’ll tell my mom I’m downstairs in the hotel, having a bite in the restaurant,” he said.
“Okay,” said Olivia. She didn’t want to encourage him to lie to his mother, but also knew this meeting was important. Especially as it was secret. “I’ll be at the Alaska in a little while.”
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
The Alaska was a dingy little pub on a narrow side street. No one could possibly even know it was there if they hadn’t already heard about it. When Olivia walked in it was crowded, with tinny music playing, smoke, and dim lights. The crowd was mostly younger. Olivia stood there at the bar, looking around, wondering where Nate was.
Olivia suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder and jumped. As she spun around and there was Nate, standing behind her, grinning.
“You got here quick, that’s great.” Nate seemed excited to see her. “Come to the side of this joint with me.”
Olivia followed as he led her through the crowded place to a rickety bench under a shed.
“Where are we?” Olivia asked, looking around.
Nate started laughing. “We’re not at Buckingham Palace, that’s for sure.”
“This is a strange spot,” said Olivia.
“That’s right.” Nate seemed to like that. “And it’s the perfect place to talk to you.”
“Why?” asked Olivia.
“Stop asking so many questions and let me do the talking,” Nate suddenly growled.
Olivia noticed that he was carrying the same large, bulging paper bag. She hoped the photo album was still in it and that he had more pictures to show her.
“We’ll go sit in the back where it’s quieter,” Nate said then, pushing Olivia slightly in that direction.
The two of them made their way to the back of the place, through small aisles between tables and the crowds standing around, talking.
“This sure is a popular place,” remarked Olivia.
“It’s for the locals,” said Nate. “You have to know about it.”
“You’re not a local though.” Olivia turned around and glanced at him. “How did you find out?”
“Calia told me about it,” Nate whispered loudly. “Calia knows all kinds of things. The minute she goes somewhere she gets the lay of the land.”
“You’re close to your sister?”
“Sometimes.” Nate smiled.
Finally they came to an empty space way in the back, where the music wasn’t as loud and the crowds had thinned out.
“What do you have to tell me?” Olivia turned and looked at Nate square on.
“For starters, I didn’t like that you spoke to my mother without me being there,” said Nate.
“I didn’t know you wouldn’t be there,” Olivia immediately defended herself. “I actually went back to the hotel room to see you.”
Nate smiled strangely. “I thought that,” he said, “just checking.”
“Why didn’t you want me talking to your mother alone?” Olivia couldn’t let it pass.
“Because she’s a fragile person, and gets unstable,” Nate breathed without a pause.
“You didn’t want me upsetting her?” asked Olivia.
Nate tossed his head back. “My mom gets upset easily. She spends a lot of time in Nashville in bars, especially when she’s unhappy. My dad was gone too much and she was lonely. Don’t you dare tell anyone I told you this.”
; “I won’t,” said Olivia.
“The people at the bars in Nashville sometimes talk about her. I don’t like that, either,” Nate continued.
“I’m sure you don’t,” said Olivia, surprised. “What do you do about it?”
Nate’s eyes narrowed. “That’s my business,” he shot back.
“Did you ever talk to your father about it?” Olivia felt this was important.
“I said it was my business,” Nate insisted.
“Okay, okay,” Olivia relented. “But you brought me here for a reason, what did you want to tell me?”
“Not tell you, show you.” Nate’s eyes opened wide then, as he glanced at the big paper bag.
“You brought the album with you?” Olivia was eager to see it.
“That’s right.” Nate yanked it out of the bag. “We’re leaving in the morning, and there’s something in here I wanted to you see and fast.”
Nate held the album out in front of Olivia. Then he opened it and riffled quickly to a few pages at the end. Olivia held her breath silently, waiting to see what he had to show her.
“Follow me,” said Nate, walking a bit to the left, where there was more light.
Olivia followed him to a spot where a bare bulb hung from the ceiling.
“Look at this,” said Nate then, holding the album open.
Olivia gazed at the page, where there were several photos of him and Calia. “Very nice,” she said.
Nate flipped the page then and there was a photo of Heidi at the beach, under palm trees.
“Recognize this?” Nate asked, his eyes narrowing.
“It’s your mother at the beach,” said Olivia, not sure what he was after.
“Look where the beach is,” Nate urged Olivia forward.
Olivia looked more closely. It certainly looked like the beach was in the Keys. Olivia recognized a lighthouse far in the background that she’d seen on the beach in Key Biscayne.
“Key Biscayne?” Olivia took a long shot.
“That’s right! You got it,” Nate sneered.
“What do you mean I’m right?” The reality of it hit Olivia. “Your mother said she had never been to Key Biscayne!”
“She did say that, didn’t she?” Nate started grinning.
“What are you telling me, Nate?” asked Olivia. She wanted to hear from him exactly what he was thinking.
“I’m telling you that my mother lied,” Nate said between clenched teeth.
Olivia looked at the photo more closely. “Your mother lied about where she was?”
“Definitely,” Nate agreed.
“Can I have this photo?” Olivia asked then. The police could check it out, she imagined.
“No, you cannot.” Nate drew the album away.
“We need solid evidence,” Olivia pressed him.
“But you can’t have it,” Nate repeated. “You know where she was and you’ll always know it, but there’s nothing you can do about it, either.”
“Nate, this is crazy.” Olivia reached for the album abruptly.
He pulled it further away harshly, spun around, and ran out of the place.
Olivia stood there looking after him, rattled. She wondered if what Heidi had said was true. Was Nate living in a strange fantasy world? Or did he have real information that he couldn’t bear to tell the world?
Confused, Olivia quickly put a call in to Wayne. She knew he’d be sleeping by now. But she had to talk to him anyway.
“What is it? What’s going on?” Wayne mumbled, half awake, when he picked up the phone.
“I’m sorry to wake you up, Wayne,” Olivia started.
In a second he was more alert. “What happened? Where are you? I’m coming down to your room.”
“I’m not in my room,” Olivia said quickly.
“Where are you?” Wayne sounded frightened.
“I’m down at a dingy little place called the Alaska,” said Olivia. “Nate called after we spoke and told me to meet him there immediately. He and his family are leaving first thing tomorrow morning. So I had to go.”
“Not alone! You should have taken me with you,” Wayne insisted.
“I had no choice.”
“It’s not smart to go to strange places alone at night. That’s what I’m here for.”
“Nate’s a kid and I know him. We’ve talked before. He’s shown me the photos in that album he keeps with him.”
“Okay, so what did he want?”
“He showed me a photo of his mother, Heidi, on a beach that he said was down in Key Biscayne.”
“So?” Wayne seemed unimpressed by the news.
“Heidi told us she’d never been in Key Biscayne,” Olivia insisted.
“So, are you sure that’s where the beach is?” asked Wayne.
“Not positive,” Olivia admitted.
“Her crazy son could have even take the picture when she was here this time, couldn’t he?” Wayne continued.
“It’s possible, but doubtful,” Olivia said.
“This is a detour and a distraction.” Wayne was wide awake now. “Nate’s probably shocked that his father is gone and developing all kinds of fantasies. Maybe he even thinks it could be his mother. People always blame someone else in the family. It doesn’t add up to anything.”
“I don’t agree,” Olivia said softly.
“Listen,” Wayne continued. “The police are bringing Christine in for further questioning first thing in the morning. I gave them the information we have, and they’re all over it. They’re also going to grill Andrea again shortly.”
Olivia swallowed hard. “We’re going to get kicked off the case, Wayne,” she finally said. “Penny will realize we told the cops.”
“Let her realize what she wants,” said Wayne. “The truth is the truth and we’re going to get it. Come back to the hotel now and get to sleep right away. We have to be at the station first thing in the morning to hear what Christine has to say.”
*
Olivia got back to her hotel room quickly, but couldn’t sleep. The photo of Heidi on the
beach bothered her. It bothered Olivia even more that Nate would show it to her. Was he just
trying to create confusion? Was he framing his mother and possibly covering for someone else?
Whatever Nate’s motive, it was unsettling. Heidi and Nate certainly had a strange relationship. Olivia was sorry that they were returning to Nashville so soon. She even wondered if the police could restrain them and keep them here just a little bit longer. It might be too late to do that now, but they could certainly bring them down here again for further questioning. Olivia hoped that might happen, as she finally closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Right after breakfast, the next day, Olivia and Wayne made their way to the police station in eager anticipation. It was cooler than usual today with a light rain that tapped lightly on the roof of the cab.
“This could be it,” Wayne said in the cab as they sat close to each other. “If Christine is really unraveling, we could be on the brink of a confession from her.”
Olivia shivered. “If she’s unraveling how reliable is her confession?”
Wayne smiled. “You’re sharp, Olivia. Nothing escapes you. You’re right, of course, but that’s how most confessions are made. The person doesn’t see any way out and can’t keep the truth locked up any longer.”
“And if it’s a false confession made out of desperation?” asked Olivia.
“Some are,” Wayne agreed, “and it’s up to us to figure it out. People’s lives are on the line.”
“And it’s up to us to protect them,” Olivia quipped. It all seemed like a huge burden to her suddenly.
“Don’t worry.” Wayne seemed to pick up her feeling as he put his arm around her and gave her a light hug. “You’re not alone with it. None of us are, ever.”
When they got into the police station, Christine was there already, running her hand frantically through her hair and shifting back and f
orth restlessly on the bench she was sitting on. Chief of Police Dowl and a few other officers were there, including Justin.
“I can’t take another minute of this,” Christine burst out as Olivia and Wayne entered and sat down.
“Just repeat what you told us one more time.” Dowl was leading the interrogation.
“Why do I have to repeat it again? Why didn’t you hear what I said the first time?” Christine stared at him bitterly.
“We heard it.” Dowl stayed professional with her. “We need to hear every word of it again to be positive.”
“I told you I hated the bastard and I’ll say it again now,” she suddenly burst out. “Mort and I were having a terrible time before he died.”
“That’s not what you said before,” Dowl corrected her.
Christine raised her eyes to the ceiling. “I said that I knew he had a second family for a while now, is that what you’re waiting to hear?”
“Exactly,” said Dowl as the other officers in the room looked at one another.
“I knew it, I knew it.” Christine’s voice rose as she repeated the words. “And I had a right to hate him, didn’t I?” She threw an off-glance at Olivia then. “Didn’t I? Tell them, Olivia.”
“A person has a right to feel whatever they feel,” Olivia responded. “It’s what they do about their feelings that matters.”
“What did I do?” Christine half rose from her seat, “I yelled at him, I told him I knew about his second family. I begged him to tell me why. Wasn’t I enough for him? Didn’t I give him my life?”
“What did he say?” Olivia was spellbound.
“He denied it completely, every word of it,” breathed Christine. “I told him that Andrea told me and he said she was a troubled young woman. Why would I believe her instead of him?”
“Mort played with your head,” said Olivia.
“I actually think he believed every word he said,” Christine muttered. “He probably never thought of them as a second family. He must have thought of her as the whore she was!”
“What about their children?” Olivia urged her on.
“She trapped him, I’m sure of it.” Christine looked devastated. “I warned him there would be hell to pay for getting involved with that kind of woman! There always is. What would you do, Olivia?”